Proverbs 24

1Do not be #Ps. 1:1; 37:1; Prov. 23:17envious of evil men,

Nor desire to be with them;

2For their heart devises violence,

And their lips talk of troublemaking.

3Through wisdom a house is built,

And by understanding it is established;

4By knowledge the rooms are filled

With all precious and pleasant riches.

5#Prov. 21:22; Eccl. 9:16A wise man is strong,

Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;

6#Luke 14:31For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,

And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

7#Ps. 10:5; Prov. 14:6Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;

He does not open his mouth in the gate.

8He who #Prov. 6:14; 14:22; Rom. 1:30plots to do evil

Will be called a schemer.

9The devising of foolishness is sin,

And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10If you #Deut. 20:8; Job 4:5; Jer. 51:46; Heb. 12:3faint in the day of adversity,

Your strength is small.

11#Ps. 82:4; Is. 58:6, 7; 1 John 3:16Deliver those who are drawn toward death,

And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.

12If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”

Does not #1 Sam. 16:7; Prov. 21:2He who weighs the hearts consider it?

He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?

And will He not render to each man #Job 34:11; Ps. 62:12; Rev. 2:23; 22:12according to his deeds?

13My son, #Ps. 19:10; 119:103; Prov. 25:16; Song 5:1eat honey because it is good,

And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;

14#Ps. 19:10; 58:11; Prov. 23:18So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;

If you have found it, there is a prospect,

And your hope will not be cut off.

15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;

Do not plunder his resting place;

16#Job 5:19; (Ps. 34:19; 37:24; Mic. 7:8)For a righteous man may fall seven times

And rise again,

#Esth. 7:10; Amos 5:2But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

17#Job 31:29; Ps. 35:15, 19; (Prov. 17:5); Obad. 12Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,

And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;

18Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him,

And He turn away His wrath from him.

19#Ps. 37:1Do not fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the wicked;

20For there will be no prospect for the evil man;

The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21My son, #(Rom. 13:7; 1 Pet. 2:17)fear the Lord and the king;

Do not associate with those given to change;

22For their calamity will rise suddenly,

And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

Further Sayings of the Wise

23These things also belong to the wise:

#Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:17; 16:19; (John 7:24)It is not good to show partiality in judgment.

24#Prov. 17:15; Is. 5:23He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”

Him the people will curse;

Nations will abhor him.

25But those who rebuke the wicked will have #Prov. 28:23delight,

And a good blessing will come upon them.

26He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.

27#1 Kin. 5:17; Prov. 27:23–27Prepare your outside work,

Make it fit for yourself in the field;

And afterward build your house.

28#Lev. 6:2, 3; 19:11; Eph. 4:25Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,

For would you deceive with your lips?

29#(Prov. 20:22; Matt. 5:39–44; Rom. 12:17–19)Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;

I will render to the man according to his work.”

30I went by the field of the lazy man,

And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;

31And there it was, #Gen. 3:18all overgrown with thorns;

Its surface was covered with nettles;

Its stone wall was broken down.

32When I saw it, I considered it well;

I looked on it and received instruction:

33#Prov. 6:9, 10A little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to rest;

34#Prov. 6:9–11So shall your poverty come like a prowler,

And your need like an armed man.

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Proverbs 24: NKJV

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